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The Russian Empire
Brief History In July of 1914, Russia entered the Great War on the side of the Triple Entente in response to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war on the Kingdom of Serbia. In the turn of the 20th century, Russia was considered a great military power and at the start of the war Russia was making vast territorial gains not only in East Prussia, but also in the regions of Galicia and Carpathia, taking Lemberg (which they renamed Lwow) with relative ease. However after a successful joint counter attack by the Germans and Austrians, Russia was pushed back and the tides turned in the Triple Alliance's favour. The Russian Empire was now in the period of the war referred to as the Great Retreat. By 1916, Russia was completely pushed out of Poland and Lithuania. Something drastic had to be done. In June of 1916, Russia, under General Brusilov, made a huge offensive that collapsed Austria's army and caused the inevitable breakdown of the fragile multi-ethnic empire. Germany was now facing a two front war with no remaining allies, and sued for peace in late 1916. Political Situation Despite 1905 revolution, Russia has remained as an autocratic regime with a Tsar at the throne. However efforts were made towards democratisation. After the war, Russia faced a long and difficult recovery. However, thanks to Russian men, resources, and the vastness of the Russian agricultural empire, it rebuilt itself quickly and even enjoyed an economic boom by continuing to adopt some of the proposed reforms by former Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin in the early 1930s. Tsesarevich Alexei died of hemophilia in 1922 leaving Russian no direct successor to the throne. This meant that Nikolai's brother Mikhail would assume the throne if the current Tsar dies. This situation has sparked some sort of instability in Russia, as more liberal and conservative movements clash on the political arena. Military In 1936, Russia possesses the largest army in the world, numbering over one million men in the field and has the world's fourth largest navy, after the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Empire of Japan. It is truly both a regional and a world power, and is even considered by some political scientists to be the first military and economic superpower in human history. Navy Russia possesses especially strong presence in the Baltic and in the Black Sea. The fall of the German Empire let the Russian Empire become the King of the Baltic. The capture of Istanbul (now Tsargrad) allowed the Russians to maintain a direct route to the Mediterranean Sea. The Imperial Navy consists of 5 main fleets: Baltyiskiy flot, Chernomorskiy flot, Turetskaya flotilliya, Tikhookeanskiy flot and the Severniy flot. The main strike force is located in Petrograd with 4 Gangut class dreadnoughts and 4 Imperatritsa Mariya class in Sevastopol. However these vessels are outdated hence the Russian Navy modernisation programme of the early 1930s which allowed Russia to begin the construction of new Vladivostok Class ships (Imperator Nikolai II and Vladivostok) that are direct competitors to the British, French and Japanese battleships.